Throughout this application various publications are referred to in parenthesis. Full citations for these references may be found at the end of the specification. The disclosures of these publications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety into the subject application to more fully describe the art to which the subject invention pertains.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting an estimated 5 million people worldwide, primarily young woman. SLE is characterized by the presence of pathogenic autoantibodies, many of which are directed against nuclear antigens, in particular double stranded (ds) DNA. Clinical studies as well as animal models have shown that anti-dsDNA antibodies contribute to kidney disease. A subset of anti-DNA antibodies cross-reacts with the N methyl D aspartate receptor (NMDAR) on neurons and in the kidney. These autoantibodies are both neurotoxic and nephrotoxic and are present in approximately 30-40% of lupus patient sera and in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with central nervous system (CNS) manifestations of SLE. The present invention address the need for small molecule compounds that can be used for the treatment of lupus.